


We love you, Captain

by Marmarhargreeves



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Good Brother Diego Hargreeves, Good Brother Klaus Hargreeves, Luther Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Panic Attacks, discussion of rape/non con, luther centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-05-31
Packaged: 2020-03-30 21:13:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19035703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marmarhargreeves/pseuds/Marmarhargreeves
Summary: Consent. Clear consent. That is a concept that Diego and all of his siblings learned from a young age. When the Hargreeves were old enough, fifteen to be exact, Grace gave her children a lesson on what consent means and why it’s important. Diego doesn’t think Reginald put her up to it, as it wasn’t as smooth as her usual powerpoint “rehearsed” scripted lessons. It felt much more personable - much more intimate.ORDiego and Klaus come to the realization that Luther's first time wasn't consensual. And they promise to be there for him, no matter what it takes.





	We love you, Captain

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!! I'm currently on vacation w my fam and just...really wanted to write something. This request has been sitting in my inbox for a while so props to whoever sent it for being so patient!! 
> 
> I've been rly soft for Luther and I have uhhh 4 more Luther requests so hopefully I'll be able to finish them all soon-ish!! anyway, i hope u enjoy :')) and as always thank u sm for taking the time to read (and comment if ya do!!) <333 it rly does make my entire day/week/month/year...i reread comments when I'm feelin low and it really does make me feel better! i appreciate yall

con·sent **  
**

/kənˈsent/

noun

1.  
permission for something to happen or agreement to do something.  
“no change may be made without the consent of all the partners”

Consent. Clear consent. That is a concept that Diego and all of his siblings learned from a young age. When the Hargreeves were old enough, fifteen to be exact, Grace gave her children a lesson on what consent means and why it’s important. Diego doesn’t think Reginald put her up to it, as it wasn’t as smooth as her usual powerpoint “rehearsed” scripted lessons. It felt much more personable - much more intimate.

She called the children into the study after dinner one night, which usually they spent that time helping clean up. But she insisted that this was important and the dishes could wait. Of course, they obliged. It was a twenty-minute lecture. Grace sat at the front of the room, sitting legs crossed on the desk, hands held loosely in her lap.

She gently explained that in order to have any sexual contact with another person, there must be a clear “yes” given. She especially emphasized that even if the other party seems like they are wanting whatever is going on, that there must be a clear discourse on both ends that ends in agreement on what is going to happen. Grace laid out the facts and statistics about rape and sexual assault to the kids. Not to scare them of course, but to make sure they were aware of the epidemic.

Klaus, who was infamous for interrupting practically every lesson with comments varying from inquisitive to straight up annoying, was uncharacteristically silent the entire time. His eyes were transfixed on Grace as he sat at the desk with his mouth slightly agape and soaking in every word that came from their mother’s mouth.

No one spoke a word until quiet, little Ben raised his hand and asked, “Mom, can boys get hurt like that too?”

Grace’s features immediately softened as she leaned over to his desk and placed her hand on top of his.

“Of course they can, Ben. I want you all to be careful. I don’t want a single one of you getting hurt.”

Which is why Diego is sat frozen at the dinner table, the rest of his siblings watching him with varying degrees of confusion and concern. He’s replaying a scene in his head. Well, a scene that he wasn’t really there for. He’s only heard bits and pieces of the event.

But Klaus mentioned it again tonight. It was a simple, passing comment. Nothing too out of the blue coming from their brother. It was a typical Klaus-style, harmless jest. He made them to everyone, not just Luther. Whether it be a “brooding Diego” comment or a “baby boy Five”, they all knew it never came from a place of malice. It was never intended to harm.

But the look on Luther’s face spoke volumes. And that’s when it all clicked.

Luther was raped. Luther, their valiant leader, their beloved captain ‘o captain, was taken advantage of. He was touched sexually without consent. Not only that, but he had never had sexual contact before and he cannot even remember his first time. God, Diego felt like he was going to be sick.

“Diego?” He finally heard Ben’s gentle voice call from his left. That snapped himself out of his thoughts. He shook his head slightly and swallowed roughly, staring blankly at his plate. He didn’t even know how to start with this, how to even wrap his head around this newfound information. He’s pissed at himself for not putting it together sooner, for not realizing.

“Diego, is something wrong? Are you hurt?” Five quipped, his voice raising with each question.

He shook his head, finally looking up and scanning his siblings. Should he tell them? Should he bring it up now, in front of everyone? Would Luther want that? Probably not, no. This isn’t something that you bring up at the dinner table. Something like this isn’t easy to swallow. Luther deserved to be told alone.

“No yeah, I’m okay. Sorry, I just,” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It was something Klaus said. I sorta…got lost in my head is all.”

“Oh?” Klaus spoke up, the crooked grin he wore during meal times gone. “I didn’t realize…I say a lot of daft things these days. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Diego pressed, waving a hand in his direction “It’s um.” He shifted his gaze from Klaus to Luther, who was watching him with furrowed brows and concerned eyes.

“It’s fine, man. Don’t worry about it.” Diego picked up his spoon and forked another bite of rice pilaf in his mouth, adamant on the conversation not going any further. The rest of them seemed to get the memo, none of them wanting to get stabbed (not physically of course - a threat at worst). So they all eventually resumed their previous conversation, Klaus’ grin back.

Dinner went on without a hitch after that, the seven of them eating in casual conversation. It was Luther’s turn for dishes that night and Diego immediately jumped to follow him into the kitchen, stacks of plates in both of his hands.

“Hey bro, let me help with that.” Diego said, dropping his stack into the sink and grabbing a hand towel along the way. He placed himself at Luther’s side, drying the dishes Luther already washed and placing them on the counter.

“Oh, thank you Diego. I appreciate it.” Luther met Diego’s eyes, a genuine smile plastered on the blonde’s face. Diego felt his heart break ever so slightly at the sight. He’s still working himself up for this conversation. How do you explain to your brother that he was sexually assaulted? How do you even begin to unload something that heavy, that life altering, into conversation?

Well, the answer is you simply do not. Diego and Luther worked in silence, forming a comfortable rhythm. There were a few passing comments about Diego’s boxing or Luther’s poetry class here and there, but nothing more than that. The two of them were able to finish the dishes within ten minutes and they said their parting goodnight’s for the night.

Luther, walking off to his bedroom and Diego doing the same. Well, that is until Klaus quite literally intercepted him, placing himself right in front of Diego in the middle of the hall, arms crossed.

“Di, I know something’s up. Spill.” Klaus raised his eyebrow, watching Diego with a certain intensity that he only saw when he was interrogating Five about his sleeping habits. He wasn’t going to let this go easy, that much was evident.

“Klaus, buddy, listen it’s not really my place so…” Diego trailed, but Klaus wasn’t satisfied with that answer.

“Ben said it was my Luther cherry popping comment that made you all,” Klaus waved his hands in a vague, frantic gesture around his head.

“It isn’t the first time I’ve said something about it so what exactly was so offensive this time?”

Diego sighed and nodded his head towards his room, silently asking Klaus to follow. To which he did, trailing behind his brother until the two of them were sat on the bed. Klaus was able to quickly read the urgency of the situation however as he saw how tense Diego was. His shoulders were hunched and his jaw was clenched, things he only did when something was really, really wrong.

“Dude, what is it? I’m sorry if I like…I don’t know, crossed a line? I do that, I know.  I’m trying to get better at that shit though. Ya know, being more sensitive to everyone and stuff so if I messed up, let me know?”  Klaus said frantically, eyes bouncing between both of Diego’s.

Diego was silent for a few more moments, trying to form the words in his mind. He couldn’t sugar coat this, no. There was no way you could make light of the situation.

“Luther was raped.” He drew out the statement slowly, careful to not let his emotions come out too much and stutter. It was too early for that.

Klaus sat there, blinking about 20 times a second. Diego could see the wheels turning in his head, his pursed lips and furrowed brows speaking for him.

“What do you mean raped? You mean his lil lady friend from the club? He was fine, bro - wait. Wait no. No, no, no…” Klaus shook his head his head furiously, running his hands over his face.

Fucking hell. How did Klaus not put that together? He fucking congratulated Luther on “popping his cherry” the morning after. He had the audacity to not only rob Luther of his agency to tell the others, but he’s continued to bring it up since that night. Since the “almost end of the world”.

And every time he does, Luther stays silent. Not that that is too unusual for him, but he should’ve known. He should’ve known better. How could he have dismissed this so easily? It’s not like he’s never woken up next to a stranger with no recollection of the events the night before. He remembers how terrifying it was the first time. But that being your actual first time? He couldn’t even imagine.

“Diego I..I fucked up. I gotta make it better. Does he even, like, know? Or realize?” Klaus’ voice was barely above a whisper.

Diego shook his head slightly, “I don’t know, man. Tonight, when you brought it up he just sort of… froze? It was different from his usual adamance to your antics. It was the first time I noticed it, which is why I got all,” Diego mimicked the vague, frantic motion Klaus did earlier which caused the curly haired man to give a small smile.

“You’re right though, we have to tell him.” Diego agreed.

“He’s usually in his room working on his poems or art after dinner, right? We should do it now. The sooner the better, I think.” Klaus suggested, pointing his thumb at the door.

“Yeah, okay. Let’s go.” The two brothers walked out of the room and down the hall to Luther’s. Diego knocked lightly at the door, his stomach twisting.

“Come in!” They heard Luther call from the other side. Diego took a deep breath and opened the door, finding Luther at his desk and working quite diligently on a painting.

It was beautiful. It looked to be the view from the moon. The black sky shone with accents of glitter and the moon surface itself seemed to be illuminated. The Earth had a beautiful mixture of blue and green, and at the very center was a small red heart. Right where New York is, where they all are. He was definitely getting better at painting, something Diego cursed at himself for not commenting on before.

“That looks really good, bro.” Klaus said with a smile, pointing at the painting. Luther seemed to absolutely beam at the validation.

“Thanks, Klaus. It’s fun. Helps me clear my mind and all. And it’s a better coping mechanism than isolating myself.” Luther said lightly.

“So what’s up? Not that I don’t want to hang with you guys, but you both seem sorta tense. Is everything alright?” Luther’s big brother voice came out as he shifted in his seat to face them more.

Diego and Klaus shared a glance before sitting themselves on his bed. Klaus was playing with the hem of his shirt in between two fingers and Diego just stared off at the wall behind Luther. Neither of them really rehearsed this, no. But they both knew this conversation needed to happen.

“Listen, Luther. I, uh,” Klaus started, “wanted to talk to you about something. It’s about the night club.”

Luther tensed as Klaus spoke. He hated talking about that night, hated remembering it. He hurt Klaus, he hurt him so badly when he was just trying to help him. He got him killed, he knew that. And it’s something he’ll never forget.

“Klaus…I’m sorry for being so inconsiderate and stupid I-”

“No, no Luther this isn’t like a lecture or anything. I know you’re sorry and I forgive you. Lord knows I’ve done even more stupid things.” He reached over and gave his gloved hand a squeeze, hoping that would relieve some of Luther’s tension.

“Luther, that night.” Diego finally spoke up, voice unusually soft, “You were…that woman you met. Do you remember anything?”

“I uh, no. Not really, no.” Luther gulped, his eyes dancing between his two brothers. “Why?”

“Lu, you were high. Like, unbelievably so. You didn’t… you couldn’t have consented.” Klaus said gently, “It wasn’t consensual, was it?”

Luther opened his mouth to say something but immediately shut it. He shifted in his seat, taking shallow breaths. It was getting harder to breathe.

“I-I don’t know. I don’t feel right about it. It doesn’t feel right. It…” He squeezed his eyes shut, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Luther felt his heart race increasing, his palms getting sweaty. He stood up but immediately started to tumble back. He felt lightheaded and he managed to knock one of the planes off his shelf.

Which, shit. This isn’t good, Klaus’ brain expresses the obvious out loud. Diego and Klaus waste no time rushing towards their brother. The two of them place a firm hand on each shoulder.

“Hey, let’s sit down, yeah? It’s okay, Lu.” Klaus led the shaken man to his bed, rubbing his hand on his back in circles.

They needed to get Luther to calm down, to _breathe_. The last one of them to have a panic attack was Five. They all have instructed him through them before, Luther being the best at it. But Luther needed their help now. They needed to be there for him like he always was for them.

“Listen to my voice, okay? Breathe in for seven seconds, hold for four, out for ten. That’s it…” Diego instructed, taking initiative and following the orders himself. Klaus followed suit, meeting Diego’s eyes in mutual panic.

“You’re okay.” Klaus said with a nervous smile and Luther shook his head, his breathing becoming more and more labored with each second.

“C’mon, Lu. Listen to Diego. In for seven…that’s it, good man. Hold! And out…”

The three of them sat in silence as they listened to Diego’s counting for the next few minutes, repeating the exercise over and over.

The worst of it was finally over by the tenth run through and Luther took a deep, shaky breath. It wasn’t pretty, he choked in the air, but it was much more even than it had been before. And he did it again, gasping for air.

“Back with us?” Klaus asks, voice calm and hand still rubbing circles on the small of Luther’s back.

The blonde gave a shaky nod in response.

“Sorry.” He manages to croak out.

“Nothing to be sorry for, Lu. Take your time.” Diego pressed, placing a hand on Luther’s arm.

“I-I didn’t, I don’t,” Luther shakes his head in frustration, “I feel dirty. It shouldn’t have happened. I shouldn’t have done it…I didn’t want to! I didn’t!” Tears are falling freely from his eyes now as he starts to turn in on himself. He lets out a pained, heart wrenching sob. His wide body jerks in response. It wasn’t possible for this man to look small, but right in this moment, Diego and Klaus have never seen him look any smaller.

“It’s not your fault, Luther. Okay? You’re right, it should not have happened. B-but it did…and I’m sorry. But it doesn’t make you wrong. You are not wrong.” Diego stresses.

He hated seeing Luther in this state. Strong, stoic Luther. Their fearless leader was hurting. Even at their worst, even at every single one of their Hargreeves-typical destructive and dangerous times, Diego never saw Luther break. At least not like this.

Luther always put on a brave face; he was always so adamant on making his family believe this facade that everything is going to be okay. He felt that as the big brother, it was his responsibility to make sure his siblings were okay. But Luther isn’t okay. And that’s something neither of them ever could’ve been prepared to witness.

“Luther, buddy, we love you. I’ve been in similar situations and it hurts. God, it fucking hurts. It’s scary and I get how isolating that feeling is. I’m so sorry I just dismissed you so quickly. I should not have done that, whether I realized what happened or not. But I promise you I’m gonna help you get through this. We both are.” Klaus took hold of Luther’s hand, giving it a tight squeeze. He was going to be there for Luther. No matter what he needed, no matter how long it took, he wasn’t going to leave his side. And he knew Diego wouldn’t either.

Luther looked at the hand in his and met Klaus’ eyes. They were so much more bright nowadays, gleaming emerald even in the yellow lit room. And right now his eyes were filled with nothing but compassion. Luther believed him. He turned to Diego who had a matching look on his face. The brown eyed man gave him a firm nod, a small smile tugging on his lips.

“We love you, Captain.” Diego said, his tone light.

Luther closed his eyes and let out a watery chuckle at his childhood nickname. He sniffed a few times, his face still hot from the episode that barely passed. He wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of both of their heads. His brothers, his family, would always be there for him. He didn’t have to handle shit like this alone, he knew that. But sometimes it can get hard remembering it. But they’d be there to remind him.

“I love you too.”


End file.
